Milihistriot Quarterly

The Journal for Military Miniature Enthusiasts

Basic Techniques of
Military Unarmed Combat

1930 to
1975

The close combat systems of the early 20th century were based mostly on Judo,
Jujitsu and Western combat sports. The techniques chosen for military
combat had to be easy to learn and easy to use. They were pretty
simple. Unlike the martial arts which are common today, the old
systems were not flamboyant. There were no fancy kicks or bizarre hand
strikes.

The most common techniques were chops, palm heels punches with the heel of
the hand, and low kicks to the knee and groin. Below are a few examples of the
most basic strikes and kicks. They were taken from several old
manuals. In fact, most of the systems were quite similar. The
German manual of hand to hand combat is not all that different from its American
and British counterparts.

The "chop" used the edge of hand, hacking in an axe-like motion.
This photo from a German manual shows a soldier in a defensive stance, his
hands poised to chop.

This German photo shows the chop to the neck, a tactic used in most
hand-to-hand systems. The Germans taught their fighters to keep the
thumb against the side of the hand.

A chop to the philtrum, under the nose, a very effective blow.
This fighter uses the Fairbairn technique, with the thumb pointing out
instead of lying against the hand. This was used in the British
system devised by Major Fairbairn.

A chop below the ear. Hand to hand combat manuals promoted the
use of the chop as an extremely powerful attack.

Knee kick. The kick to the knee is followed by scraping the foot
along the adversary's shin, then capping it with a chin jab. This is
one of Fairbairn's techniques. Picture is from, an American manual, circa
1971

Knee lift and chin jab. A common Jujitsu attack, the soldier uses
a knee to the groin and follows with a palm heel strike to the chin
this picture is from a very old book American on Jujitsu. Fairbairn liked
this technique and taught it widely to US and British troops..

A palm heel used to break a choke, from a German manual

Blocking a strike with a chop while simultaneously using a finger stab
to the throat. From a German manual,

How to strike with the chop

The techniques depicted here are dangerous.
Their practice can result in serious bodily harm. They are displayed here
strictly for discussion of military history. They are not here for the
instruction of close combat. Anyone who uses them does so at their own
risk. We take no responsibility for any harm that may result from showing
these methods.

If you wish to learn unarmed combat, seek a
qualified instructor. Do not attempt to learn on your own.